Leif åberg | University of Helsinki (original) (raw)

Papers by Leif åberg

Our paper deals with strategic communication in the context of work organizations, from the point... more Our paper deals with strategic communication in the context of work organizations, from the point of view of their employees. We name it strategic employee communication. It has been somewhat confusing that strategic communication clearly has focused on the role of top management and communications managers. Earlier models, we argue, have too much emphasized the role of top management and communications managers and undermined the role of the others.
We begin our argumentation for a broader approach of strategic employee communication with three premises: 1) the importance of visioning and on-going legitimization is on the rise; 2) the new communications environment enables for each and every one an easier access to go public and; 3) everyone is responsible for workplace communication.
The starting point of the tractate is the shift towards a more active employee role in strategic organizational communications. We open up this development by seeking answers to three questions: [1] why is there a call for a more proactive model of management; [2] why is there a call for a more comprehensive use of models of communication; and, finally, [3] is there a need for a new model or even a new paradigm of strategic employee communication?
The drastic change in organizations and in operational environments and public spheres put the communication models in a new light. We think that they do not sufficiently explain the role and dynamics of several phenomena that are perceived as being important in current organization literature. These include commitment, engagement, empowerment, flow, and collaboration.
We suggest a new approach to complete the former ones - responsible dialogue - that bares the characters of dialogue, such as an opportunity to commit and engage people by allowing asking, challenging and questioning, a variation of views through asymmetric communication, and finally an appreciation of each others’ views and seeking of understanding. As for responsibility, it implies a duty, obligation or liability as well as a right to speak and to be listened to by others. It is close to corporate ideologies of such as ethics and legitimacy.
We would like to present our proposition for strategic employee communication as a responsible dialogue and sum a comprehensive model with four dimensions.
- One-way informing and access to and availability of adequate information; this is about knowing and sharing things
- Conducted discussion and interaction on meaningful and complicated issues; this is about making sense of things
- Building of sense of community; this is about belonging to the organisation and constructing of togetherness
- Shared responsibility; this is about to participate and influence as well as to strengthen commitment and engagement.
Because our model is theoretical by nature it needs to be tested in practice. We have done one test by interviewing the members of a steering group of a big company. We have categorized the managers’ positive perceptions of the role of strategic communication as well as their hesitations and opposite views.
Strategic employee communication is quite a recent approach because strategy and strategic issues have mainly been discussed solely from the management’s viewpoint. The new operational and communication environments foster to extend the discussion and complete the viewpoint. Responsible dialogue may seem idealistic and therefore might incorporate features which might not be welcome in work organisations. Thus, there are some threats to be identified, and we will present them in the conference.
When writing this conference paper, we came to a conclusion that the former paradigms still have their justification in organisational communication. Therefore there is no need to talk about a paradigm shift. Old paradigms stress some important elements of communication. Yet the current changes in strategic management, in communication practices and in perceptions of the role of people in organizations call for a new, wider point of view. Therefore it would be more fruitful to speak about refreshment of a paradigm instead of a paradigm shift. It is our humble wish that this paper triggers responsible dialogue among scholars, students and practitioners of strategic communication.

A model for different public spheres and for the dynamics of publicity is presented in this paper... more A model for different public spheres and for the dynamics of publicity is presented in this paper. First, a short introduction is given on the development of the communication activities of the state administration in Finland. Then a number of propositions on the changes in communication are introduced. A model of the dynamics of public relations is outlined. The model states, that (1) an issue emerges in a latent phase, where after (2) some issues escalate (in a tipping point, a concept adopted from Gladwell), depending on the content of the issue, on the people involved, and on favourable conditions. It is also proposed, that (3) a tipping occurs when there are shifts from one public sphere to another, especially from a closed sphere to an open sphere, or from a mediated sphere to a direct interactive sphere. Further it is assumed, that (4) the publics feed one another, and (5) a news vacuum creates new publics.
Our model was tested in analyzing four specific communication crises in Finland – tsunami catastrophe in Thailand in 2004, school shooting in Jokela in 2007, Nokia water crisis in 2007 and the closing of the Kemijärvi pulp factory in 2008 – as well as through experiences from daily operative communication in the public sector.
Lastly it is argued, that the communication of the public sector is gradually developing from the traditional communication activities toward the construction of public policy and public relations. The execution of this development requires a new emphasis for the communication practices and planning from the point of view of public policy. It is also reminded that the role of communication in the management of ministries must be reassessed. In this purpose, a concept of communicative management is introduced. Finally it is reminded that in the future a larger and larger part of communication will take place in virtual settings in the nets and not through the traditional media.

Measurement Techniques and Empirical Results for …, Jan 1, 1986

Structural Pa, Jan 1, 1986

Viestintä työyhteisön voimavarana. Te, Jan 1, 1998

Esimiehen viestintäopas. Jyväskylä: Gummerus …, Jan 1, 1993